Shell average to large in size for the group of MITRIDAE it belongs to, solidly build and with a light gloss on top of the ribs. Holotype: 20.5 mm in length. 8.8 mm in width. The protoconches are broken off in all specimens, but the remaining whorls and very top of the shell is always whitish and paler than the rest of the shell The teleoconch whorls number 7, they rapidly increase in size and the body whorl is large, covering more than half of the shell length. The aperture is about half of the shell length. The suture is shallow, hardly visible, difficult to detect, even under magnification. The sculpture consists of very regular sharp spiral ribs, almost smooth and glossy on top. There are 4 such spiral ribs between the top of the aperture and the suture of the last whorl. Between these spiral ribs is a wide field covered with numerous very small axial ribs. The aperture is relatively wide, with a crenulate lip. The 3 columellar folds are quite weak, only the upper one is well developed. The color of the shell is constant: an overall warm brown with the top of the spiral ribs of a much darker color and the top whorls and siphonal canal of a paler color, tending in some specimens even to white. Aperture cream inside.

This species is easily distinguished from all other heavily ribbed solid small MITRIDAE by the spiral ribs that are contrastingly dark colored on top. Only one other species occasionally has this feature: M. willani n. sp. M. willani n. sp. is usually bigger and has a pattern of white flecks set in two bands, is most often yellowish-green colored and not warm-brown as M. wareni n. sp. Other species that have forms which have almost the same shape are: M. rubiginea A. Adams. 1855. This species has usually a higher spire, is much bigger and is more slender. M. carinilirata Souverbie, 1871 is uniform more dark reddish-brown and has a pattern of white flecks on top of the ribs. The first spiral rib below the suture is placed higher, forming a sharper shoulder. M. cingulata A. Adams. 1853 has a white siphonal canal and is not so sculptured between the whorls. For further comparison, we here figure all of these. Robin & Martin (2004) figured this species as M. cingulata.

TYPE LOCALITY
The Philippines. Olango Island.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
Only known from the central Philippines. All the localities above refer to places where shells are usually collected by diving. This species probably lives between 10 and 30 m deep.